Mobile home pad construction

ABSTRACT

A mobile home pad includes poured concrete forward and aft spaced pad sections each of which includes ribbon-like lane portions permitting the mobile home to be driven over such lanes in the process of properly locating the mobile home with respect to the pad; a downwardly extending well separates the pad sections and permits the wheels and associated suspension system of the mobile home to be lowered into the well at which time suitable supporting and shimming blocks are placed along the lanes and beneath the mobile home undercarriage in order to level and support the mobile home on the pad.

United States Patent 1191 Button 1 Jan. 9, 1973 541 MOBILE HOME PADCONSTRUCTION 3,452,492 7/1969 Brockway ..52/174 x [76] Inventor: AaronRussell Button, 44109 Grand River, Novi Mich 4 050 Primary EmmmerPr1ceC. Faw, Jr.

Attorney-Lon H. Romanski [22] Filed: July 15, 1970 [21] Appl. No.:55,047 [57] ABSTRACT 7 A mobile home pad includes poured concreteforward 52 05.01. ..52/169, 52/143, 52/174 and spaced P sections each ofwhich includes [51] Int. Cl. ..E02d 27/32 ribbon-like lane portionspermitting the mobile home [58] Fi ld f s 52/169, 174, 143 294, 292, tobe driven over such lanes in the process of properly 52/23 locating themobile home with respect to the pad; a downwardly extending wellseparates the pad sections [56] References Cited and permits the wheelsand associated suspension system of the mobile home to be lowered intothe well UNITED STATES PATENTS at which time suitable supporting andshimming 3,508,366 4 1970 Youngkin ..52/174 x blocks are placed alongthe lanes and beneath the 2,2l2,757 8/1940 Stout bile home undercarriagein order to level and support 3,007,212 11/1961 Gazin ..52/l69 X themobile home on the pad. 3,016,583 1/1962 Grunt et a1. 52/174 X 3,054,1519/1962 Shankland ..52/23 2 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJM 9 I975SHEEI 2 OF 2 6; INVENTOR.

1am @assd/ 6225b BY M ATTORNEYS MOBILE HOME PAD CONSTRUCTION BACKGROUNDOF THE INVENTION Mobile home villages and parks have, in the past,provided designated areas for the placement of such mobile homes. Suchareas are usually determined by the presence of utility connections forsuch things as water, electricity and sewer facilities.

Heretofore, some parks provided vertically extending permanentlysituated post-like supports which often were embedded within the groundto a depth below the frost-line. The problems which arise with this typeof arrangement are that, first, the locations of such support posts doesnot always conform to the dimensions of the particular mobile home to besupported thereon thereby requiring extensive work before the mobilehome can be fitted" to the support posts. Further, since the supportposts extend upwardly a considerable distance above ground level, themobile home also has to be lifted upwardly and over the posts which, asshould be evident, is an extremely difficult and timeconsuming maneuver.Also, once the mobile home is so set atop the support posts, it assumesa high profile with respect to the ground and therefore becomes unstablein high winds.

Others have provided a single continuous concrete slab for each mobilehome. However, such prior art slabs did not alter the necessity ofhaving to jack-up the mobile home and then place supporting blocks underthe unit. This again caused the mobile home to become unstable in highwinds as well as requiring the placement of a number of steps fromground level to the threshold of the mobile home door.

Accordingly, the invention as herein disclosed and described isprimarily concerned with the solution of the above as well as otherrelated problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention, a supporting padarrangement for a mobile home or the like having a body portion normallysupported on ground engaging load supporting wheels comprises a concreteslab formed at ground level, said concrete slab having an overall lengthand an overall width relatively complementing said mobile home to bereceived thereover, a wheel well formed within said ground and situatedas to be generally between longitudinally spaced ends of said slabthereby defining forward and aft slab sections, said forward slabsection comprising at least a pair of generally parallel spacedribbon-like lane portions terminating at said wheel well, at least'apair of said lane portions being of a width sufficient to enable theplacement thereon of related support and shimming members onto whichsaid body portions is lowered in order to be supported through saidsupport and shimming members and on said lane portions, and said wheelwell being of a depth sufficient to receive therein said ground engagingwheels and to enable the placement of said mobile home body portiondirectly in supporting relationship on said lane portions without thenecessity of having to deflate said load supporting wheels.

Various general and specific objects and advantages of the inventionwill become apparent when reference is made to the following detaileddescription of the invention considered in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings, wherein for purposes ofclarity certain details or elements may be omitted from one or moreviews:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a support pad constructed in accordancewith the teachings of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken generally on the planeof line 2-2 of FIG. I and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken generally on the planeof line 3-3 of FIG. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views respectively taken on theplanes of lines 4-4, 55 and 6-6 of FIG. 3 and looking in the directionof the arrows;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary plan view taken generally on the plane of line7-7 of FIG. 5 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a mobile home situated atop the padconstruction of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating amobile home in the process ofbeing parked atop the supporting pad of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now in greater detailto the drawings, FIG. I illustrates, in perspective, a pad construction10 for a mobile home or the like comprised of generally forwardly andrearwardly spaced supporting bases 12 and 14 between which is formed awell 16. A longitudinally extending retaining wall 19 is preferablyformed integrally with base sections 12 and 14 as well as with one ofthe walls forming the well 16. A patio-like slab I8 is formed at oneside of the base sections 12 and 14 in a manner so as to have thelongitudinal edge 20 thereof contiguous to the outer edge or surface 22of retainer wall 19.

As best shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, base section 12 is of a generallyU-shaped configuration having longitudinally extending leg-like ribbonportions 24 and 26 which are joined at their outer-most ends as by abight portion 28. Similarly, base section 14 is also of a generallyU-shaped configuration having leg-like ribbon portions 30 and 32 whichare also joined, at their outer-most ends, as by a bight portion 34.

The inner ends 36 and 38 of ribbon portions 24 and 26 as well as theinner ends 40 and 42 of ribbon portions 30 and 32 are preferably formedintegrally with, for example, opposed vertical walls 44 and 46 of thewell 16 which is also shown in greater detail in FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.For example, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, the well 16 is preferablyformed by vertically extending opposed side walls 48 and 50 which are,in turn, integrally formed with vertically extending opposed end walls44 and 46. As seen in FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8, side walls 48 and 50are respectively provided with longitudinally extending ledges orrecesses 52 and 54 which, as will become evident, comprise adjustmentmeans for supporting a critical part of the mobile home unit.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, well wall 46 may extend so as to form one ofthe wall portions of a service access opening 56. Preferably, accessopening 56 is formed by vertically extending walls 58 and 60 integrallyformed with each other and respectively integrally formed with end wall46 and side wall 50 which, as is shown, is somewhat shorter than theopposed side wall 48.

Preferably, the pad of the invention can be constructed in the followingmanner. A pit 62 of suitable dimensions is first dug into the ground 64and wall forms are then placed within the pit in order to define,between the vertical surfaces of the ground 64 and the inner surfaces ofthe respective forms, spaces corresponding to the desired thickness ofthe vertical walls 44, 46, 48, 50, 58 and 60.

After the pit 62 has been dug but before the wall forms are placedwithin the pit, it is preferred that the ground 64 on which the padsections 12 and 14 will be supported, be scraped or otherwise suitablyleveled so as to define a rather flat ground surface 66. After theground surface 66 is thusly prepared suitable forms outlining the padsections 12 and 14 as well as the retainer wall 19 may be set-up and theconcrete poured in order to fill the forms for pad sections 12 and 14 aswell as the forms for walls 44, 46, 48, 50, 58 and 60 along withretainer wall 19. After the concrete has set the respective forms may beremoved. As typically illustrated in FIG. 2, it is preferred thatsuitable strengthening or reinforcing members, such as steel rods 68 orthe like, be embedded within the concrete.

It has been discovered that various benefits are derived in constructionsupport pads 10 in accordance with the teachings of the invention. Forexample, it has been discovered that the thickness of the pad sections12 and 14 may be in the order of 4.0 inches and yet such thickness issufficient to support the heavy load of a large mobile home withoutundue adverse effects on the supporting pad 10. In this connection, itshould be mentioned that in constructing such pads 10, standard cut 2 X4 inch lumber, laid on its narrow edge, has been used in constructingthe forms for the pad sections 12 and I4. Accordingly, it can be seenthat the thickness dimensions of 4.0 inches is a nominal dimension inthat such standard cut 2 X 4 inch lumber has an actual dimension of 1-3inches by 3-!4 inches.

Further, the height of retainer wall 19 is preferably selected to be ofa dimension so that when the mobile home is supported on the pad 10, thelower side edge of the mobile home comes into close proximity with theupper edge or surface 70 of retainer wall 19. If any space existsbetween the lower side edge 72 of the mobile home 74 and the uppersurface 70 of retainer wall 19, such space can be closed as by theplacement of suitable curtain-like members or blocks 76 (which arenon-supporting with regard to the mobile home 74) as depicted in FIG. 8.

As illustrated, for example, in FIGS. 2, 3 and 8, the retainer wall 19serves another important function; that is, referring to FIG. 2, it canbe seen that once retainer wall 19 is formed, the ground 64 is graded upagainst it (preferably defining at least a slightly sloping surface 78)and a patio-like slab 18 is formed as by placing suitable forms atop thesurface 78 and filling such forms with concrete. As should be observed,in pouring the concrete, the upper surface 80 of slab 1B is so formed asto have its edge, which is juxtaposed to retainer wall 19, generallylevel with or at substantially the same height with upper surface 70 ofretaining wall 19. Consequently, when the mobile home 74 is parked inplace as shown in FIG. 8, the threshold 82 of the door 84 is at acomfortable step height with respect to slab surface 80.

As shown in FIG. 8, the mobile home 74 can be easily parked or situatedonto the supporting pad 10 arrangement. That is, the mobile home 74 isbacked onto pad section I2 and moved rearwardly on its supportingground-engaging wheels 86 and 88 rolling along pad ribbon portions 24and 26. Ramps 90 and 92, preferably removable, are situated within well16 and spaced from each other so as to respectively provide inclinedtracks for wheels 86 and 88. Therefore, after the mobile home 74 hasbeen backed a sufficient distance, wheels 86 and 88 start to roll alongand downwardly on ramps 90 and 92 thereby simultaneously moving themobile home 74 further rearwardly toward pad section 14 and downwardlytoward the surface of both pad sections 12 and 14.

As illustrated, mobile homes or trailers are usually provided with aplurality of longitudinally extending main frame members 94 and 96.Accordingly, suitable rollers 98, 100 and I02 are suitably located andplaced on pad ribbons 24, 26, 32 and 34 so that when the unit 74 issufficiently lowered the main frame members will engage such rollers as98, 100 and 102 thereby maintaining the unit 74 at a prescribed heightabove the surfaces of pad sections 12 and 14 while, at the same time,causing the weight of the mobile unit 74 to be transferred from the axleand wheels 86 and 88 to the rollers.

Such engagement between frame members 94, 96 and corresponding rollerswill occur while wheels 86 and 88 are still on their respective rampsand 92 thereby more often than not resulting in the wheels 86 and 88being suspended above the floor or lower surface of well I6 as themobile unit 74 is roller further backwards on the roller 98, 100 and 102until situated in its desired location with respect to pad construction10. When the mobile unit 74 is thusly properly located, suitablesupporting members and shimming blocks or supports 104 are placed, atsuitable intervals, between the lower edges of frame members 94 and 96and the upper surfaces of pad ribbons 24, 26, 30 and 32 as typicallyillustrated in phantom line in FIG. 4. When a suffrcient member of suchblocks or supports 104 are so placed, the rollers 98, 100 and 102 areremoved and the entire weight of the mobile unit is carried by the padsections 12 and 14 through the spaced supports 104.

In addition to the spaced supports 104, additional laterally adjustablesupporting means are provided for supporting the portion of the mobileunit 74 which is disposed above the well I6. Such supporting means, asdepicted in FIGS. I, 3, 4 and 5 comprises elongated ledges or recesses52 and 54 which serve to support a suitable transversely extendingmember, such as an I- beam I06. By providing such elongated slots 52 and54 the I-beam 106 can be shifted therealong, in order to avoidinterference with the wheels 86 and 88 and associated suspension, andyet enable the l-beam 106 to provide support as by the placement ofsuitable blocks and shimming means 108 as against and between the top ofthe l-beam 106 and the bottom surfaces of frame members 94 and 96.

After the mobile unit 74 is situated atop the pad 10, as describedabove, the mobile unit is then preferably secured so as to be firmlyheld against, for example, possible adverse effects of high winds. Inorder to make this a simple procedure, the walls 44 and 46 of well 16are provided with suitable anchors H0, 112, 114 and 116 which areemployed in combination with either suitable rods and/or cables forconnection to the undercarriage or frame of the mobile unit 74. Suchsecuring means coupled with the fact that, by virtue of the wheels beingdropped into well 16, the entire mobile unit 74 is placed low to theground, the mobile unit becomes extremely stable even in winds whichcould upset such mobile homes supported in the conventional manner ofthe prior art.

The well 16, in addition to permitting wheels 86 and 88 to be lowered,provides a shelter for the occupants of the mobile home 74 in cases ofsevere storms accompanied by tornadoes. In this connection it should bepointed out that in the preferred embodiment of the invention, relatedutility service connections are provided as at 118 and 120 within theservice access 56. Again, by virtue of having such connections 118 and120 within the service access 56, they are less susceptible to damageand result in an enhanced aesthetic quality for the entire surroundingarea.

Referring again to the pad sections 12 and 14, it can be seen that inthe preferred embodiment the ground 64 is not only scraped to providethe surface 66 but it is also dug out or trenched as at 122 between padribbons or lanes 24 and 26 and as at 124 between pad ribbons or lanes 30and 32. In some instances it has been found that such trenched portions122 and I24, when dug to a depth in the order of one foot, as measureddownwardly from the surface 66, provides adequate space for suchaccessories as, for example, air conditioning duct work carriedunderneath the mobile home unit 74.

In addition to the above, further benefits have been discovered; thatis, first, since the pad sections 12 and 14 are laid atop the ground 64they are able to move upwardly and downwardly with the ground as theground respectively rises and settles during winter and spring, Also,since the pad sections are comprised of ribbon-like lanes (24, 26, 30and 32) with a space therebetween, such individual lanes are better ableto conform to ground movement thereunder without in any way building-upstresses in the next lane or ribbon portion.

Finally, the patio slab 18, being juxtaposed to the retainer wall 19 andalso formed atop the ground on surface 78, is also permitted to moveupwardly and downwardly in response to the ground rising and settling inthe same way as the pad sections 12 and 14. Therefore, regardless of theground conditions due to the particular season, the patio 18 remains ina substantially constant relationship to the retainer wall 19 and padsections 12 and 14.

Although only one preferred embodiment of the invention has beendisclosed and described, it is apparent that other embodiments andmodifications of the invention are possible within the scope of theappended claims.

I claim:

l. A supporting pad arrangement for a mobile home or the like having abody portion normally supported on ground engaging load supportingwheels located on opposite sides of said mobile home, said supportingpad, comprising a concrete slab formed at ground level, said concreteslab having an overall length and an overall width relativelycomplementing said mobile home to be received thereover, a wheel wellformed within said ground and situated as to be generally betweenlongitudinally spaced ends of said slab thereby defining forward and aftslab sections, said forward slab section comprising at least a pair ofgenerally parallel spaced ribbon-like lane portions terminating at oneend at said wheel well, each of said parallel spaced ribbonlike laneportions having a transverse width sufficient to support said loadsupporting wheels situated on opposite sides of said mobile home body,said parallel spaced ribbonlike lane portions being spaced from eachother a distance accommodating the simultaneous support and passagethereover of said load supporting wheels as said mobile home is movedtherealong toward said wheel well, at least one of said pair of saidlane portions being of a width sufficient to enable the placementthereon of related support and shimming members onto which said bodyportion is lowered in order to be supported through said support andshimming members and on said lane portions, said wheel well being ofadepth sufficient to receive therein said ground engaging wheels andenable the placement of said mobile home body portion directly insupporting relationship on said lane portions without the necessity ofhaving to deflate said load supporting wheels, said aft slab sectioncomprising at least a pair of generally spaced ribbon-like second laneportions terminating at one end at said wheel well, at least one of saidpair of said second lane portions being of a width sufficient to enablethe placement thereon of additional related support and shimming membersonto which said body portion is lowered in order to be supported throughsaid additional support and shimming members and on said second laneportions, said first mentioned lane portions terminating at their otherend in a first bight portion integrally formed therewith whereby saidfirst bight portion and said first mentioned lane portions define afirst generally U-shaped configuration, said second lane portionsterminating at their other end in a second bight portion integrallyformed therewith whereby said second lane portions define a secondgenerally U-shaped configuration, a retainer wall formed along alongitudinal side of said forward and aft slab sections and integrallywith one of said first mentioned lane portions and with one of saidsecond lane portions, said retainer wall being of a height as to form atleast a partial skirt along one side of said body when said mobile homeis placed in supported relationship on said forward and aft slabsections, and a patio'- like slab laid on said ground in a manner so asto have one edge thereof juxtaposed to said retainer wall and as to havethe upper surface of said patio-like slab at said one edge at a heightsubstantially equal to the height of said retainer wall, said patio-likeslab having an other edge opposite to said one edge at a heightsubstantially below the height of said retainer wall.

2. A supporting pad arrangement for a mobile home or the like having abody portion normally supported on ground engaging load supportingwheels located on opposite sides of said mobile home, said supportingpad, comprising a concrete slab formed at ground level, said concreteslab having an overall length and an overall width relativelycomplementing said mobile home to be received thereover, a wheel wellformed within said ground and situated as to be generally betweenlongitudinally spaced ends of said slab thereby defining forward and aftslab sections, said forward slab section comprising at least a pair ofgenerally parallel spaced ribbon-like lane portions terminating at oneend at said wheel well, each of said parallel spaced ribbonlike laneportions having a transverse width sufficient to support said loadsupporting wheels situated on opposite sides of said mobile home body,said parallel spaced ribbon-like portions being spaced from each other adistance accommodating the simultaneous support and passage thereover ofsaid load supporting wheels as said mobile home is moved therealongtoward said wheel well, at least one of said pair of said lane portionsbeing of a width sufficient to enable the placement thereon of relatedsupport and shimming members onto which said body portion is lowered inorder to be supported through said support and shimming members and onsaid lane portions, said wheel well being of a depth sufficient toreceive therein said ground engaging wheels and to enable the placementof said mobile home body portion directly in supporting relationship onsaid lane portions without the necessity of having to deflate said loadsupporting wheels, said well comprising a plurality of generallyvertically extending walls situated in said ground and definingtherebetween space sufficient for the reception of said load supportingwheels, and means formed in at least a pair of said vertically extendingwalls for accommodating the placement therein of additional supportingmeans for supporting the portion of said mobile home extending over saidwell, said formed means comprising substantially elongated recessesextending generally parallel to the length of said slab sections forenabling the variable and selective positioning of said additionalsupporting means thereon for optimum support of said mobile home.

I! I! Ill t

1. A supporting pad arrangement for a mobile home or the like having abody portion normally supported on ground engaging load supportingwheels located on opposite sides of said mobile home, said supportingpad, comprising a concrete slab formed at ground level, said concreteslab having an overall length and an overall width relativelycomplementing said mobile home to be received thereover, a wheel wellformed within said ground and situated as to be generally betweenlongitudinally spaced ends of said slab thereby defining forward and aftslab sections, said forward slab section comprising at least a pair ofgenerally parallel spaced ribbon-like lane portions terminating at oneend at said wheel well, each of said parallel spaced ribbon-like laneportions having a transverse width sufficient to support said loadsupporting wheels situated on opposite sides of said mobile home body,said parallel spaced ribbon-like lane portions being spaced from eachother a distance accommodating the simultaneous support and passagethereover of said load supporting wheels as said mobile home is movedtherealong toward said wheel well, at least one of said pair of saidlane portions being of a width sufficient to enable the placementthereon of related support and shimming members onto which said bodyportion is lowered in order to be supported through said support andshimming members and on said lane portions, said wheel well being of adepth sufficient to receive therein said ground engaging wheels andenable the placement of said mobile home body portion directly insupporting relationship on said lane portions without the necessity ofhaving to deflate said load supporting wheels, said aft slab sectioncomprising at least a pair of generally spaced ribbonlike second laneportions terminating at one end at said wheel well, at least one of saidpair of said second lane portions being of a width sufficient to enablethe placement thereon of additional related support and shimming membersonto which said body portion is lowered in order to be supported throughsaid additional support and shimming members and on said second laneportions, said first mentioned lane portions terminating at their otherend in a first bight portion integrally formed therewith whereby saidfirst bight portion and said first mentioned lane portions define afirst generally U-shaped configuration, said second lane portionsterminating at their other end in a second bight portion integrallyformed therewith whereby said second lane portions define a secoNdgenerally U-shaped configuration, a retainer wall formed along alongitudinal side of said forward and aft slab sections and integrallywith one of said first mentioned lane portions and with one of saidsecond lane portions, said retainer wall being of a height as to form atleast a partial skirt along one side of said body when said mobile homeis placed in supported relationship on said forward and aft slabsections, and a patio-like slab laid on said ground in a manner so as tohave one edge thereof juxtaposed to said retainer wall and as to havethe upper surface of said patio-like slab at said one edge at a heightsubstantially equal to the height of said retainer wall, said patio-likeslab having an other edge opposite to said one edge at a heightsubstantially below the height of said retainer wall.
 2. A supportingpad arrangement for a mobile home or the like having a body portionnormally supported on ground engaging load supporting wheels located onopposite sides of said mobile home, said supporting pad, comprising aconcrete slab formed at ground level, said concrete slab having anoverall length and an overall width relatively complementing said mobilehome to be received thereover, a wheel well formed within said groundand situated as to be generally between longitudinally spaced ends ofsaid slab thereby defining forward and aft slab sections, said forwardslab section comprising at least a pair of generally parallel spacedribbon-like lane portions terminating at one end at said wheel well,each of said parallel spaced ribbon-like lane portions having atransverse width sufficient to support said load supporting wheelssituated on opposite sides of said mobile home body, said parallelspaced ribbon-like portions being spaced from each other a distanceaccommodating the simultaneous support and passage thereover of saidload supporting wheels as said mobile home is moved therealong towardsaid wheel well, at least one of said pair of said lane portions beingof a width sufficient to enable the placement thereon of related supportand shimming members onto which said body portion is lowered in order tobe supported through said support and shimming members and on said laneportions, said wheel well being of a depth sufficient to receive thereinsaid ground engaging wheels and to enable the placement of said mobilehome body portion directly in supporting relationship on said laneportions without the necessity of having to deflate said load supportingwheels, said well comprising a plurality of generally verticallyextending walls situated in said ground and defining therebetween spacesufficient for the reception of said load supporting wheels, and meansformed in at least a pair of said vertically extending walls foraccommodating the placement therein of additional supporting means forsupporting the portion of said mobile home extending over said well,said formed means comprising substantially elongated recesses extendinggenerally parallel to the length of said slab sections for enabling thevariable and selective positioning of said additional supporting meansthereon for optimum support of said mobile home.